From all over they came, dozens of emails to me about flagrant abuses being allowed in America's banking industry today. Earlier in the week I had written about a ridiculous $5.00 fee I incurred when I cashed a check at SunTrust Bank. So as Senator Bob Corker's efforts to align support for sweeping banking reform fizzled at the U.S. Capitol about the same time, allow me to share a smattering of the emails that have flooded my in-box worse than yesterday's thunderstorm.

On Wednesday it appeared Senator Corker, who I remember with most fondness for once hitting the go-ahead double about this time of year for the City High baseball team, was close to striking a bi-partisan deal with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn) to push a bill touting changes in the financial sector.

But Sen. Dodd suddenly broke off talks with Bobby and, as the senseless quibbling continues back and forth in Washington, the citizens who lack the financial brawn to lobby the Senate Banking Committee are being forced to endure "fees" and ridiculous hardships that big bankers somehow feel are right and just.

For example, a Chattanooga doctor wrote to me and said his college-age daughter has approximately $2,000 in a First Tennessee Bank savings account. Recently that account was debited for a $25 "dormant activity fee." In other words, because she didn't use the money in her savings account, the fee was now being imposed.

The physician writes, "I thought that you were suppose to leave money in a savings account alone to accrue interest? In fact, she does accrue a remarkably slight amount of interest each month/quarter, but this 'activity' doesn’t count. If she withdrew a dollar a month this would count (and preempt the dormant fee), but, it is a savings account. If people didn’t leave banks money in their savings account, the banks would have no money to loan. Explain this logic to me!"

Another letter comes from a lady who, after knee surgery, was recuperating at home when she had a need for cash so she sent her brother to the Regions Bank branch she uses to cash a check for her. In her own words, here is what happened:

"When he presented the check, they asked for ID and then said they would have to charge $5 because he didn’t have an account with Regions. He told them he didn’t need an account. He had his own account. He only wanted to get a check cashed for his sister who was recovering from surgery. He was simply the messenger. When he returned, he said, 'You are not going to believe this ...'

"I called the bank to question why I was charged $5.00 to get my money. The branch manager told me, in the kindest voice, I should have called ahead of time to let them know my brother was coming to cash the check.

"I responded with 'Sugar, let me make sure I understand you. You want me to call and let you know I want my own money?' He said, Yes, Ma'am, 'to avoid confusion.' I laughed and said ok and asked him to put the $5 back in my account. He said he couldn’t do it because the computer wouldn’t let him. Again I said, "Sugar, let me make sure I understand you. The same computer that takes the money out of my account and takes my deposits into the bank will not let you put the $5 back in my account even though it is my money.' He said 'No, Ma'am, it will not.' I told him, I hoped Regions Bank stretched that $5 a long way cause that was the last they would ever get from me. He thanked me and wished me a happy day. I thought surely my head would explode."

Well, while Senators Dodd and Corker play patty-cake with others on the Senate Banking Committee it appears the greed and brazen abuse in the industry is endless. Remember when the taxpayers backed the $710 billion banking bailout and, of the 116 banks involved, they then gave their chief executives an average bonus of $2.3 million? Now explain the ridiculous fees.

Our political focus, in my opinion, should be on health care, education and our country's defense. We ought to put people who steal in jail. Theft is not a debatable issue. I don't have a lobbyist, but I do have a choice. We all do. The answer is obvious. Let's each quit doing business with people who we each perceive steal our money.

royexum@aol.com